Heirs of Flame
by SugarLandBabyGirl
Summary: Hiei had many secrets hidden in his past, some eventually surfaced while others sunk into nothingness and remained only known to him. Little did he know one particular secret, even he didn't know of, was going to come out and change his life forever.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

Heavy clouds partially shadowed the dawning sun's light creating vibrant bursts of crepuscular rays, as heavy silvery fog danced mystically in the morning light. Like spectral ghosts four silhouettes silently emerged from the thick haze into the sparse light. The leader of the group was a lean male with the appearance of a twenty-three or so year old human. He had tame, yet spiky onyx hair and dark sangria red eyes. His clothes were all black, from his black wife-beater to his relaxed fit jeans all the way down to his leather mid-calf boots. There were also two ninjatō strapped in an 'X' shape on his back.

Walking beside the weapon wielding male, matching him stride for even stride was a slender young woman, who appeared to be no more than eighteen in human years. Her long waist length shiny onyx hair was free from any bonds and fluttering gently behind her as she walked. She wore a dull black satin floor-length medieval styled dress with matching flats. The young female demon had complete heterochromia. Her left eye was the same sangria red as her companion's while her right eye was a lovely, bright shade of bondi blue.

Two vicious almost non-humanoid looking guards flanked the two onyx haired demons. Their non-human eyes were alert as they watched their surrounding with an almost feral intent. The two guard's physique greatly outsized that of their ward, yet the two smaller demons hardly paid any attention to the two hulking shadows that loyally followed their every move. The large demons wore bulky armor, with large spikes on the shoulders, arm gauntlets and shins.

"I _loathe _having to attend those useless political conferences." Hiroshi, the spiky onyx haired demon mumbled moodily, as he walked beside his little sister who listened attentively to his every word. "Listening to those idiotic old fogies piss and moan about any and every diminutive problem they have is nothing but a waste of my time and they never have anything of importance to say." He growled lowly, making Enamaya, the smaller female demon, hide a humored smile as her brother continued to rant about having to attend his duties. Most of his tirade was true, she would admit that much.

"You're right; they are a bunch of dumpy old buzzards." Enamaya announced with a firm supportive nod. She also found the conferences exceedingly boring, but she had never openly shown her tedium while in the presence of the council. Hiroshi however, had no problem showing his aggravation or his displeasure to be in their presence. When her elder brother's disbelieving sangria red irises landed on her she gave a small embarrassed smile and giggled nervously under his stare. A light blush dusted across her pale face and she quickly turned away from her brother.

Hiroshi's disbelief quickly turned into a sly fanged grin. "I knew we were more alike than you let others believe, May-May." He practically cooed using his old nickname for her as her cheeks flamed brighter. "Oh shush." She muttered gently smacking his well-toned bicep and quickening her pace to escape the pompous smirk she knew her brother was sending her way. Hiroshi chuckled at his sister's embarrassment and shook his head, easily keeping up with her quickened pace with his longer stride. "No need to be embarrassed about it, Maya." Hiroshi chuckled. "I used to call you that all the time." He softly reminded her as they continued their steady trek towards their home.

"That's true, but that was over a century ago bubba." She told him using her old endearment. Hiroshi grinned halfheartedly. He had missed times like these. Maya was a woman of the council now, as reluctant as he was to admit it and she acted the part as well, most of the time. He knew that they had their duties and such, but those duties separated him from her far too often. It seemed like the only time they ever had together anymore was when there was a damn conference.

Hiroshi, or _Kagemusha no Hiroshi_, as he was so infamously known to all of Makai was Lord Hiei's true heir, being that he was male and the eldest of the two siblings. However he was quite reluctant to take the position. He liked his freedom too much. Hiroshi had nominated Enamaya for the position every time they convened since she had come of age, as she was also the offspring of the infamous Jagan wielder. He knew she would be a far better ruler than he ever could be. He was a frontline fighter and hated the thought of paperwork and long hours in front of a boring council of idiots. Maya had the patience he so obviously lacked and though she was kindhearted she still had the steely resolve of their father to govern unruly demons.

"Say," Hiroshi started, but paused as he ducked under a low overhanging limb. Maya's heterochromatic eyes turned to acknowledge her elder brother silently. "Is there something going on between you and that snarky brat?" Hiroshi asked directly, his keen sangria eyes narrowed and stern as he searched his little sister's face for any sign of a lie. "No," She shook her head with a soft feminine giggle. "No, there is nothing going on between Lord Shura and myself. Is that why you and father have been so tense lately?" She asked with a humored smile, when she heard Hiroshi growl softly.

"You shouldn't call him _that_," He snarled viciously as he aggressively swatted away the branch in his face with the back of his hand. "He doesn't deserve that title, he never even earned it! He just inherited it without a challenge, the little spoiled bastard." Maya's bright eyes dulled slightly at her elder brother's fierce tone. She could understand her brother's anger over the young horned demon taking the title of lord without a challenge, when Hiroshi had to fight nearly to his death just to be accepted as the heir apparent. However there was question of their true blood ties to the now ruling Lord of Mukuro's lands, while there was no question of the young lord's bloodlines.

Shura didn't actually rule Gandara, yet, as his father, Lord Yomi was apparently still unsatisfied with his son's abilities or rather, his supposed lack thereof. Maya had met the young spitfire of a demon Lord many times over the last couple centuries and though he could be quite the incredibly rude and spoiled brat even now, he was decent enough company to keep on occasion. Hiroshi however could not stand the mere smell of him, let alone settle being in his presence for any amount of time.

"Speaking of which," Maya turned to look at her brother with a mischievous smile curling on her soft lips. "What's going on between you and Miss Suna? I've noticed that her scent is more pronounced around and on you as of late." Hiroshi's head snapped around to watch the smile on his innocent little sister's face turn into a full out almost devilish grin. "I don't know what you're talking about, Maya. Suna and I haven't spoken in over six years." Maya's heterochromatic eyes dropped in sadness when she heard her brother's gloomy tone. He wasn't even looking in her direction but she knew her brother had a far off look in his eyes. He was thinking of her: his beautiful, yet fierce warrior woman of a lover. Suna was an earth manipulator, who specialized in controlling sand, as her name implied. Maya loved the older demoness like a sister and looked up to her a great deal, but Suna was as free as the wind and about as tamable as a wildfire and that was what kept Hiroshi and her apart.

Suna, in Maya's opinion was everything the younger fire demon was not, but sometimes wanted to be. Suna was also quiet infamous in the Makai, as she was the leader of a small, yet powerful group of bandits. Maya knew that if she didn't exist Hiroshi would have left to be with his beloved a long time ago. The thought of her brother leaving saddened her, but she knew he would be much happier with Suna and not cooped up in a large castle with the council members constantly breathing down his neck about him not properly attending to his duties as the heir apparent.

As if sensing her sadness and guilt Hiroshi suddenly turned to meet his sister's gaze, his dark red eyes were soft, yet stern. "Stop thinking like that Maya. You mean more than the three world's together to me. I am happy here with you. It wasn't your fault, so stop thinking that way. Suna left me, _because of me_. We split because of our own volition and differences, no one else's."

Maya turned her watery gaze away from her brother's sincere, yet obviously heartbroken face. She couldn't stand to see him hurt or unhappy, especially if there was anything she could do to help. Love was a bittersweet thing in Maya's eyes, though she had never felt that emotion from nor to another in ways a lover would, she still saw what it did to those around her. Hiroshi had never been as happy before as he was when he and Suna were together, but she had never seen him as sad or broken as he was when she left him.

"I know," Maya softly uttered as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The tears though heavy on the rims of her eyes, would never fall. She had been taught long ago to never cry, unless she was back at the castle alone in her room with the door securely locked. Her tears would often, but not always harden into precious gems due to her estranged Ice Maiden blood. In many ways, Maya was a lot like their sweet, genteel aunt, Yukina. Maya was a good healer, she was miraculously and for the most part innocent and free of blood stained hands. But mostly she was kind and gentle.

She was a truly pure being, in Hiroshi's eyes and nothing would ever change that. She lacked his and their father's deep rooted hatred and bitterness. She was his most prized accomplishment, as well as their father's. It had come as a great surprise to the younger fire demon when the Jagan wielded had actually admitted this fact aloud, but Hiroshi believed him, as their father wasn't the type to lie about such things, especially where _his _little girl was concerned.

Hiei hadn't become soft in any way before or after admitting such a thing either. Their old man was still quite young, by demon standards anyways and had been almost too young when he had given him and Maya life. Hiroshi couldn't stop the sneer that twitched at his lips at the thought of their sperm donor. It may have been a bit childish, but even after all the centuries that had gone by Hiroshi was still harboring a deep anger towards the elder demon.

Maya wanted to comment on her brother's anger towards their father, but refrained because they had had the very same argument countless times before. Hiroshi would forever be angry at the demon that in his mind had been the catalyst to their mother's mental collapse and insanity. Maya couldn't remember her mother, but was told that she had her mother's bondi blue eye. Maya hardly ever asked about or brought up her mother due to both her father's and her brother's feelings.

"I miss the good old days," Maya suddenly announced forlornly as Hiroshi moved a tree limb out of her way. "Back when we all lived together in the living world at Master Genkai's temple," Hiroshi watched the torrid of emotions flash across his sister's eyes with a frown as she continued to speak. "Back when everyone was still alive and young," Hiroshi had to look away from his sister when she turned to look at him with such heartbroken eyes he felt his own heart crack.

"Yes," He admitted softly after a prolonged silence, "I miss that too, May-May." He could feel Maya's soft, yet penetrating gaze on him and let his dark red eyes flicker over to briefly meet her mismatched ones. She was smiling sadly at him and he gave her a faint upwards curve of his lips to silently show her he understood. "Well enough about that. Did you hear that the old fox was going to pay us a visit soon?" Hiroshi asked with a soft huff and a petulant scowl that could almost be considered cute.

Maya's whole face and attitude suddenly brightened and a wide childishly happy grin broke out upon her lips. "Really, Uncle Kurama is coming back?" She asked practically bouncing up and down on her feet like a hyper child begging for sweets. "It's been so long since he's visited." She muttered wistfully, silently noting that it had been nearly three full years since she had last seen her favorite 'uncle' in the flesh. Of course, with the next annual Demon World Tournament quickly approaching all of the older and stronger demons were beginning to gather again. It wouldn't be long before she would get to see everyone together again. Though all of them gathering for the sole purpose to fight one another was not her ideal view of a happy 'family' reunion she understood and accepted their reasoning for enjoying the brutality.

Hiroshi rolled his eyes at his sister's childishness over something as unimportant as a visit from the fox but didn't say anything negative. "Yeah, apparently he's going to be visiting for awhile. From what I heard, he should show up any day now." He confirmed with a stiff nod. Unlike his sister and sperm donor, Hiroshi wasn't very fond of the spirit fox, especially since he had permanently returned to his original form. The human form of Kurama wasn't so bad, but the original was a whole other story. There was just _something _about the silver kitsune that rubbed the young fire demon the wrong way, though he had yet to actually pin-point just what that something was since there were so many things that he disliked about him to begin with.

Hiroshi was abruptly brought out of his thoughts upon hearing his little sister's unsuccessful attempts at stifling her laughter. He gave her a curious raised eyebrow at her sudden unexplained bout of laughter. Maya choked out a barely identifiable apology, with her slender, petite hand over her pale pink lips. It was futile attempt to hide the wide smile that stretched across her prettily flushed face. Hiroshi stared at his hysterical sister for a few moments, before he rolled his eyes at her rare show of immaturity and playfully swiped his palm across the side of her head in a mock act of slapping some sense into her. "There's something wrong with you, you know that right." He muttered with a well concealed smirk and casually leaned his body backwards easily avoiding her lighthearted almost tug at his hair.

Hiroshi grinned in earnest as he gently tugged at Maya's long onyx hair, before quickly stepping just out of her reach. Maya laughed and lunged at her elder brother when he practically danced away from her, his back towards their destination and his grinning face towards his sister, challenging her to attempt to catch him. Maya wholeheartedly took up the challenge, as she hiked up her long dress skirt just above her ankles before taking off after him. The two hulking guards paid little attention to their playing wards and instead kept their attention to the flush, misty forest around them, always alert for any sign of a threat towards the two young heirs of their lord.


	2. Chapter One

_****_

A/N:

Sorry this took a while to get out. Honestly, I wasn't too worried about this one due to it not being read much, but figured I ought to just in case. The flashback chapters will either start in the next chapter or the one after. I'm not certain yet. I might as well warn ya'll that this story will probably be updated the least among my writings. Thank you for reading though.

_**Take care,**_

**_-SugarLandBabyGirl_**

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

Instinct was an inherited and primitive thing born in every living being. In some species, like humans, it had dulled down to its most basic form while in others it had evolved to make the species stronger, better than they were before. It was his inhumanly inborn instincts that nagged at his conscious alerting him that something in his lands were amiss, but he had foolishly ignored it until the worst had happened and could not be reversed. Hiei snarled quietly, flashing his fangs in his simmering rage as he paced back and forth in front of a large closed door. The walls were already smashed and cracked from his earlier rampages. It had been three full days and nights since his old friend, Yōko Kurama had arrived in the early morning mist carrying the cut-up and bloody body of his only son and heir, Hiroshi. Hiei had momentarily been smacked into a state of shock at the sight of his eldest brat in such a state. The boy was strong, arrogant as hell and often short-tempered, but an expert and experienced fighter who knew how to keep his cool well enough in battle.

What made the situation worst was that his daughter Maya hadn't been with the spirit fox, which was another unexpected blow. Maya, as fragile as she appeared at first and second glance was still _his_ and was no lesser a fighter than her older brother. The two guards that were assigned to them were dead. They had been disemboweled and relieved of their heads, arms, legs and other extremities. Most of their removed body parts had been haphazardly strewn among the trees. It was a gruesome sight, but there was no sign or scent of the littlest fire demon. It was as if she never existed at all. Hiei understood the meaning of leaving Hiroshi on the very brink of death, to be found at random dead or alive and the gruesome deaths of his soldiers. They were left as a message. A messy malicious one that he understood perfectly, but the disappearance of Maya left him with no answers. There had been no contact from the ones who took her. They didn't even leave a single strand of hair.

"What the hell happened out there?" Hiei growled, directing all of his anger and frustration on the tall spirit fox leaning casually against the only untouched wall opposite the door. Yōko didn't even twitch an ear, which just served to piss Hiei off even further. "As I said before Hiei, I wasn't there when it occurred. I came afterwards. It was just coincidence that I even happened upon them." The fox replied almost casually, his tail twitching slightly every so often giving his tightly bottled anger away. Hiei wasn't the only one ready to start a bloodbath. The little one, Maya was almost as precious to him as his human mother had been and when he couldn't find her in the carnage he nearly lost it, just like Hiei was still on the verge of doing. The only thing that kept him from fully snapping was not finding her body or any trace of blood, which meant one of two things: either the killers took her with them alive and whole or there was a power that could completely obliterate someone and not leave a trace. Yōko for all his intellect calculated that she was alive. They, whoever they were, had kept her for another bitter taste of revenge. What revenge and for whom he didn't know, but it was cold revenge nonetheless.

A few moments later one of the large door creaked open and at least fifteen healers quietly filed out of the room. They bowed to their leader before leaving just as silently as they had always been. The oldest and most experienced healer closed the door behind him and turned to his angry Lord. "My Lord," The squat, toad looking demon with gravity defying mud brown hair bowed before Hiei. "The young master will live, though he is still in critical condition and should not be disturbed more than necessary." Hiei nodded his head stiffly, somewhat eased by the healer's words. He hadn't yet lost his oldest brat. "Has he said anything?" Yōko asked before Hiei could even open his mouth to ask the same. The toad demon turned his big bug eyes to the tall fox staring him down like he was his prey. "Nothing we could make sense of, sir. It was all whispers and groans."

The fox's ear twitched in irritation and his golden eyes narrowed. "Useless amphibian," Yōko remarked coldly as he removed himself from the wall and stalked past the frightened healer. His nose crinkling in disgust at the foul scent the warty nuisance put off. "You have too many incompetent vassals, Hiei. I would get rid of them before they become any more of a nuisance than they already are." The fox told the crimson eyed demon directly, their eyes meeting to drive the point home. He then opened the door and disappeared into the quiet room. The fire demon grunted in agreement and agitation, but sent the terrified toad off with only a glare.

When Hiei entered the room, he closed the door behind him. Yōko was examining the brat to make sure the healer's hadn't missed something. Hiei moved over to the window and perched himself on the sill. He heard the fox tsk under his breath a few minutes later and turned his gaze away from the surrounding forest. Hiei hadn't actually taken a good look at the boy since Yōko had brought him in, but even then it was hard to make out exactly what was wrong due to all the blood. Hiroshi had looked to have been bathed in the crimson, but now he was clean and not a trace if blood on him. The first thing the elder fire demon noticed was that Hiroshi was pale; sickly, unnaturally, death-like pale.

"He lost a lot of blood." The fox confirmed aloud, still examining the smaller demon. Yōko removed the thin white sheet that the healers had covered the boy with and bit back a growl at what he saw. "Have you no better healers?" The fox asked emotionlessly. "No. Yukina is at the temple in the human world and the only other healer is missing." Hiei bit out just as coldly. Yōko's ears twitched, before flattening against his skull. Maya was the only other well versed healer. "His throat has been slit." Hiei stiffened at that bit of news, but the fox carried on. "It's not deep enough to permanently injure his vocal cords, but he won't be able to speak above a whisper for a while." Hiei grunted noncommittally and gold eyes slid to watch his profile. The healers hadn't told their Lord just how much damage the boy had taken. Perhaps that was for the best, for them. But Hiei needed to know, he was the whelp's father after all.

"There are two deep cuts across the plane of his abdomen and a stab wound near his heart. It missed by centimeters and went all the way through with no internal damage." The fox paused for a moment to make sure Hiei was still listening. He was not going to list off all of the wounds if the stubborn demon wasn't even paying attention. A confirming, guttural 'hn' let him know to continue. "It looks as though the boy may have ripped the blade out of himself or grabbed a blade barehanded, as there are several cuts on both his hands." Yōko tsked lightly, in a scolding manner. Ripping a blade out or stupidly grabbing one barehanded was something the reckless young fire demon would indeed do, if he were in a dire situation.

"There are also numerous, insignificant cuts all over the rest of his body, but it appears that his opponents were trying to injure him quite gravely. More specifically, they were trying to take his eyes and possibly cause brain damage." Yōko heard Hiei shift around and within a blink the older fire demon was standing next to the much taller fox. "His eyes and skull are safe," Yōko told the silently worried demon. "But there was a level of healing done on him that none of your current healers could perform." Crimson irises shot up to meet gold. "Maya," Hiei muttered. Yōko nodded his head in confirmation. "She is the only one who could have healed him this well." A tense silence fell between the two. Both knowing that if the injuries to Hiroshi's face and skull had been as bad as it appeared and to see the level at which he had been healed, then it was Maya's doing.

Yōko, having taught her some of her healing skills knew she would have probably used all of her power to reverse the worse damage and there was only so much a body could take. Hiei knew this too. Maya had no qualms about giving her life for the ones she loved, especially if that loved one was her brother. "You should stay here in case he wakes up, Hiei." Yōko said as he moved away from the bed and towards the door. Hiei watched him go with a self-battling expression. The silver haired demon sensed the conflicting emotions in his friend and turned his head around after he opened the door. "Stay with your son. Everything else will be taken care of." Hiei grunted, but Yōko knew he was grateful. He spared the pale bandaged body on the bed one last lingering glance before he left the castle in a hurry. He had a lot of things to do, and only so much time before Hiei lost his hair-thin patience and slaughtered someone.

Crimson eyes watched as the fox disappear into the thick forest. When he could no longer feel the fox's presence Hiei turned to watch the unconscious dark haired demon. "Stupid boy," He muttered after a moment. The insult was half-hearted and on any other day it would have earned him a challenging glare and a fight. But the pale body remained stationary. Not even the briefest fluttering of an eyelash broke the stillness. It was unnatural, the quiet that had befallen the whole castle. It hadn't been this silent since before he had been allowed to bring both of his offspring back to Demon World permanently and that was after the brat had finished his twelve term sentence for violating the terms of his parole for the twentieth time. Koenma was actually happy to finally have the boy out of his hair by then.

Hiei's eyes narrowed in thought. There were two others he knew would want to know what had happened, but he was reluctant to tell one of them and the other was unavailable. Mukuro was on a vacation half way across Demon World and no one knew where she was or how to contact her and Yukina was in the Human World watching over Genkai's temple, like she promised she would, and he had no intention of telling her what had befallen her niece and nephew, until he knew something for sure. Hopefully she wouldn't show up unexpectedly. She could be just as vicious as he, when provoked. It was worse when her niece and nephew were involved. He'd had to face her wrath twice and honestly he never wanted to do so again.


	3. Chapter Two

**_A/N:_** I finally decided that this one had been edited enough to be considered post-able, despite the lack of popularity for this story. It's initially shorter than I had hoped, but I think the content makes up for that. This one does not have Maya in it like I first thought it would, but don't worry, then next chapter will have a snippet of what has befallen the little fire demon, just in case you're wondering. :D

Take care,

~ SugarLandBabyGirl

**A/N for 1/5/2012:** When I posted this before I accidentally forgot to post this thank you note to a lovely reader and accomplished writer _Sapphos-Daughter_, who helped me with ideas for this story when I was stuck in a writer's rut. So, thank you so very, very much! I honestly cannot tell you how much you helped me and how thankful I am for your help. I'd also like to apologize for not having this on the document when I first posted it and I hope you're not too mad at me for my mess-up.

Sincerely,

~ SugarLandBabyGirl

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

Four days had passed since Yōko's abrupt departure and nothing at the castle had changed. Hiroshi's condition hadn't changed in the slightest, much to the head healer's greatest confusion and terror. The putrid scent of fear rolled of the old toad in constant waves and perfumed the entire castle; it could be scented even in the lowest levels now. The whole castle was in a semi-quiet uproar over the brutal attack on the eldest heir, the unknown fate of the missing second and the murder of their guards. Despite the not-so-quiet whispers that ran rampant throughout the castle, Hiei could always be found resting on the windowsill in Hiroshi's room. When the servants or healers passed through to check up on their young Lord they always found the elder fire demon was either lightly dozing, his katana resting lightly in hand, or gazing out at the surrounding forest with an unreadable expression on his face. Everyone knew that their Lord's blood was broiling, and yet he stayed, waiting patiently with his eldest heir, trusting that the Spirit fox would return soon with information and possibly, reinforcements.

In the days and nights that passed Hiei had not been completely idle, despite not leaving his son's room. He had attempted to locate Maya via the Jagan several times, only to be met with an impenetrable darkness each time. It was the same impeding darkness that blocked him from Hiroshi's mind even now. Each time he tried to enter Hiroshi's mind or search for Maya he felt like he was simultaneously being smothered by a thick blanket and his entire body repeatedly being bashed against a concrete wall. He could only conclude that it was some kind of barrier; an unusual one at that. As the ominous glow of his Jagan faded and the eye closed, his eyelids snapped open to reveal narrowed crimson. Hiei let a tired sigh slip through his lips as his free hand slowly slid over his face and run through his dark hair in an aggravated motion. His entire body ached and his head felt like a giant hammer was pounding away at it.

And yet, neither of those things was as painful to him as not being able to protect his children when they needed him the most. There were few things Hiei felt regretful for, but this was one of them that he knew would haunt him forever. He couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened to them. Had it not been for a last minuite disturbance between several feuding soldiers Hiei would have gone with Hiroshi to escort Maya home. Had he been there, perhaps things would have turned out differently. Maya wouldn't be missing and Hiroshi wouldn't be in a catatonic state. Mukuro's healing contraption would have been a blessing to have right then, if only it hadn't been completely destroyed nearly a century past. Unfortunately there were no blueprints to help in rebuilding the machine since the creator had been too paranoid of someone else trying to copy his invention to make any. Had the eccentric demon still been alive, Hiei would have tracked him down and killed him painfully slow, after he made him rebuild the damnable thing.

Half lost in his thoughts of what might have been, Hiei mindlessly shifted his weight and switched his bent legs in an attempt to get comfortable, completely unaware of the commotion several unexpected and highly unwanted new arrivals were causing near the castle entrance. It didn't take long for the upheaval to reach his attention however, as one of the guards stationed near Hiroshi's room knocked to get his Lord's attention, but didn't enter. Hiei blinked at the sudden noise, which sounded at lot like an echoing gunshot amid the silence, and turned his attention towards the disturbance. Within the blink of an eye Hiei had crossed the room and opened the door, the gigantic monstrosity of a guard waiting patiently for him on the other side. "My Lord, forgive the intrusion," the masked guard bowed in respect before standing to his full height once more. "But, there are five demons seeking entrance, their leader wishes to speak to you and see the young Lord."

Hiei took the new information in. "Is the leader a female demon with blonde hair?" He asked, already having an idea of who was currently disturbing the quiet atmosphere of his castle. The tall guard gave a slight nod of his head, aggravation clear in his gruff tone. "Yes, my Lord; a real mouthy one." Hiei quirked a small smirk of amusement at that comment. Only one female would cause such a comment to come from his guards. "Should I send them to the hall?" The guard asked after a moment. Hiei shook his head. "Bring them here." He said much to the guard's shock, but Hiei just glared and sent the demon off to fetch the new arrivals. He knew it would do no good to try to keep the female away from her injured lover. What Hiroshi saw in the fickle, highly temperamental female Hiei had yet to discover, but both his son and Maya were fond of the mercenary, so he had let it be despite being reminded of his own past lover and the mother of his children.

Hiei didn't have to wait long before the sound of hurried footfalls echoing off the stone walls reached his ears. As they turned the corner a sandy blonde haired Earth elemental demoness was in the lead, striding towards him too fast to be considered confident. He could see, despite her angered features that she was worried about her lover's health, while the ragtag group of male mercenaries she commanded followed behind her with blank features. "Hiei," As she came to a sudden halt in front of him, the female barely dipped her chin in respect as she addressed him in a tone that could barely be considered polite in the slightest sense. "Suna," He steadily returned her cool tone. The two demons eyed each other untrustingly for several moments, before the mercenary dropped her gaze to the floor. "How is he?" She asked in a quieter, more respectful and meek tone. "Not well." Hiei returned coolly, not bothering to spare her feelings. She had seen and done worse in her lifetime; she did not have the luxury of having a breakdown now. Suna raised her narrowed gaze and nodded her head, silently accepting what the older demon was telling her.

"The fox found us and sent us here." She stated after reading his next question through his narrowed, distrusting eyes. Hiei grunted, but made no further motion. He wasn't full out denying her entrance to Hiroshi's room, but he wasn't exactly rolling out the welcome mat either. It was frustrating, but she had to play nice. "Can I see him?" She asked at length, well aware that if he wished to, the fire demon could band her from ever seeing his son again. Crimson irises stared her down, searching for any hint of malevolence or deceit on her part. Feeling defensive under the glare, Suna straightened her posture and met Hiei's gaze head on. She had nothing to hide, even if he had no reason to trust her, she would not let him treat her as if she had been the one to kidnap his daughter or nearly kill his son. As much as they argued and as much as she verbally denied it, she did genuinely love Hiroshi and Maya was like a little sister to her. She would never hurt Maya in any way, intentionally or not, nor would she ever do something as ghastly like this to Hiroshi.

Hiei finally shifted away from the doors and allowed only her to pass through. Suna motioned for her followers to wait outside the room until she returned before disappearing behind the thick wooden doors. The stillness of the room was suffocating and it made her twitchy. Hiei was practically breathing down the back of her neck. It wasn't hard to notice that he was itching to kill someone, even if it was his son's lover. Swallowing the softball sized lump in her throat, she bravely pressed on steadily getting closer and closer to her lover's bed. The bed they had shared many a night tangled up in together in a passionate embrace. When she finally reached the side of the bed where Hiroshi lay, she couldn't suppress the tremor of horror that racked her body. Her gloved hands trembled at her sides as she looked his pallid and scarred form over. "Oh, Hiroshi… what did those fuckers do to you?" She whispered, moisture gathering at the edges of her eyes. She wouldn't let them fall. She couldn't be weak, not now. Not when her proud lover was in such a state.

Gently she let her trembling hands trace over his features as if he were as delicate as a newborn or a piece of glass. "Who did this?" She asked, finally glancing up from her lover's still form. Hiei having watched on quietly knew now that she couldn't have done this to the brat. Her visible shock and anger and helplessness upon seeing Hiroshi for the first time confirmed it, as well as something else she was trying so hard to hide. "Unknown." Suna's sandy brown gaze narrowed at his indifferent tone, but she bit her lip to keep from expressing her anger, since she knew he must feel much the same as she. "And… what of Maya?" Suna dared to ask. Hiei's hardened gaze nearly burned her and she would have thought that he felt nothing for the state of his children given his cold answer. However, the brief flash of helplessness she caught in his gaze let her know that he cared. He cared for them and their safety more than his own, and that was saying something coming from someone like him.

"Does he know?" Hiei asked after a moment of edgy silence. Suna visibly tensed and her hands clasped around her lover's cool one tightened. "No," She whispered brokenly and the heavy tears started to fall. "I was going to tell him, but then… the accident." She slowly raised her gaze to meet Hiei's. "I just couldn't tell him. I didn't want to see his heart shatter, so made up an excuse and I left. You have to understand Hiei, the accident… it wasn't intentional. I never meant to get injured, to… miscarry our baby." She dropped her gaze back to her slumbering lover and brought his injured hands up to her lips where she placed a soft kiss asking for his forgiveness on them. "As cruel as it sounds… isn't it better that he never knows? That he doesn't have to know what it feels like to lose a child." She returned his hands back to his bandaged stomach and stood up, brushing a few errant hairs away from his face before turning to face the older fire demon. The emotions swirling through her gaze practically pinned him to the wall. "Would you honestly want him to feel the pain you're feeling right now?"

When the heavy doors creaked open the four mercenaries waiting outside immediately stood at attention as their leader strode out of the room, mindlessly adjusting her off-white fingerless gloves. Hiei was silently following after her. She gave them all a quick glance and nodded her head before turning to lock gazes with the fire demon, their dispute put on hold for the moment. "We'll search around the neighboring villages and favorite criminal cesspools to see if there have been any rumors about the attack floating around. If we hear anything of Maya's whereabouts or anything in general, I'll send word immediately." She promised and turned to her men motioning for them to leave ahead of her. Loyally they followed her wordless orders quickly disappearing around the corner. When she was sure that no one was within hearing distance, Suna turned back to Hiei. She opened her mouth as if to say something, before closing it unable to say anything. "If he wakes, I'll let him know you were here and why you're gone." Suna nodded her head, unsurprised that the Jagan wielder knew what she had wanted to ask of him.

"That's more than I should ask of you." She commented stiffly, unused to showing so much emotion and weakness in front of someone so powerful. Hiei grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not doing it for you." He bit back harshly. She didn't flinch. She deserved his anger, his hatred for the lies and the heartbreak she had caused his son and subsequently his daughter as well. "Still," She cleared her throat and shifted her stance. "I thank you for that much of your mercy." With that that, she brushed her left hand up her right arm and disappeared in a blast of whirlwind of sand. Narrowed crimson irises watched her abrupt departure in completely apathy. Despite his growing dislike for the Earth elemental, he would keep to his vow and tell Hiroshi she had come to see him if he woke up. Now was not the time to be scrutinizing his son's choice in lovers, but as Hiei slipped back into the quiet room, he couldn't help but think his son was unintentionally walking the same destructive path as Hiei had. It was one he certainly did not want either one of his children to follow, especially Hiroshi, who had the misfortune of living through part of that destruction and was still mentally scarred from it.

Sensing the band of mercenaries' full departure from his land, Hiei moved to sit back on the windowsill. After getting comfortable, he pulled his right knee up to his chest and let his left leg hang carelessly over the edge. His eyes brushed over the pale body of his son lying motionless in the bed and he wondered just how long the mistakes of his past were going to keep haunting not only him, but his children as well. They didn't deserve to keep paying for his mistakes and yet, it seemed like no matter how hard he tried to keep them away from it, something always managed to bring that horror back into their lives. Hiei heaved a sigh and let his head fall limp against the cool rock wall, exhaustion from the sleepless week since the attack finally catching up to him. Hiei had never for so aged in his life, though still quite young in body and spirit he felt as if he had aged a thousand fold in only a week. None of the battles he had ever been in had been this draining, mentally or physically. Being a parent had always been difficult, but this, this was easily the worst.


End file.
